cannabisnews.com: County Approves Abatement Order for Weedstock





County Approves Abatement Order for Weedstock
Posted by FoM on May 25, 2000 at 17:56:35 PT
Statewire
Source: Star-Tribune
The annual Weedstock festival promoting legalizing marijuana will go on as planned, despite a Sauk County order prohibiting the gathering, an organizer said Thursday. The Sauk County Board' s judiciary committee issued an abatement order Thursday saying the event would be an unlawful assembly and violate county codes. 
The order violates the Constitution, said Weedstock organizer Ben Masel. The order " is on its face an unconstitutional prior restraint on free speech and assembly, " Masel said. Holding the festival without first getting a license from the county violates a county ordinance, the abatement order said. But Masel said festival organizers have a state campground permit, which covers events of up to 4,000 people, and do not need the county permit. The county permit is intended to regulate health and safety issues related to large gatherings. The event was scheduled to start Friday and run through Monday afternoon. A statement from the Sauk County Corporation Counsel' s Office said the event' s organizers could be fined up to $10,000 for each day the code is violated. The statement also said those who attend the event could be subject to prosecution. Corporation Counsel Todd Liebman and the Sauk County Sheriff' s Department did not immediately return calls The Associated Press left Thursday seeking comment. Weekstock, held on farm land in the town of Fairfield, has drawn between 2,400 and 2,600 people in past years, Masel said. Various band and musicians will perform, but loudness will be monitored, he said. " We' ll try to be sensitive to the immediate neighbors, and we' ll turn down the volume and maybe shut down earlier, " Masel said. Baraboo, Wis. (AP)Published Thursday, May 25, 2000 Copyright 2000 Associated Press.Related Articles & Web Sites:Weed Stockhttp://weedstock.com Drug Policy Forum Of Wisconsinhttp://www.drugsense.org/dpfwi/index.htm Festival Blows Smoke at Anti-Marijuana Laws http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3137.shtmlWeekend Madison Festival Seeks To Raise Awarenesshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3109.shtmlThe Great Midwest Marijauna Harvest Festival http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3028.shtml 
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